Essay Questions

Describe specific instances in which the events of 9/11 influence the characters' thought processes.

On September 9, 2001, Islamic terrorists launched a coordinated attack on the United States by flying airplanes into important buildings. This shocking event sparked a near-obsession with terrorism in European civilizations at the time. This novel, taking place about seventeen months after 9/11, reveals the lingering effects of the event: when Henry first sees the burning plane, he theorizes that it could be caused by “A man of sound faith with a bomb in the heel of his shoe” (Ch. 1). When he tells Theo about the plane, Theo also immediately asks if it could have been jihadists (Muslims who believe and engage in "holy war"). The media is also preoccupied with this question: it is suggested many times that the plane crash could be a result of terrorism, but it is eventually revealed that terrorism had nothing to do with it.

To what extent is Saturday a semi-autobiographical novel?

While clearly fictional, certain elements of Henry Perowne's life directly mirror that of the author, Ian McEwan. Both Henry and Ian live in Fitzroy Square, a Georgian square found in Fitzrovia (a district in central London). Both of these men are also middle-aged professionals who are recognized for outstanding achievement in their fields. They both exercise regularly, and it has been noted that Henry's family nearly mirrors that of McEwan's own, complete with similar wife, parents, and "a representative cross-section of Ian McEwan's children and stepchildren" ("Civilization and its Malcontents," Christopher Hitchens). McEwan himself has not made much comment on these autobiographical elements, but Hitchens (a late friend of McEwan's) claims that they are entirely obvious. McEwan's son, Greg, even played guitar at one point. The rest of the novel, however, is entirely fictional.